Too often, the conversation around remote work seems tied up in the growth of the freelance market. While it’s true that freelancers are projected to make up 50% of the workforce before the end of the decade, not all freelancers work remote or offsite.
On the flip side, many businesses (such as in energy or telecommunications) heavily depend on field staff.
Whether freelance or full-time, businesses of all sorts are realizing the benefits of lightening up the onsite and office-based requirements. This helps appeal to workers’ desire for flexibility, cut back on office size and overhead, and tap into the strongest talent at large instead of what’s simply available locally. We would know! As a company with a remote workforce, we take pride in bringing together the best workforce management experts from around the country with diverse and specialized industry expertise.
As such, we’re also acutely aware of the incredible advantages of implementing workforce management solutions that help cover the distance and keep operations running as smoothly as ever. It all starts with administration in the cloud, but the greatest strength lies in the artificial intelligence (AI) at the heart of essential productivity tools.
Streamline Task Management, Requests and Approvals
Clear and efficient communication is key to running a smooth workplace, especially when remote work prevents face-to-face interaction between employees and their managers. Heck, even those who share an office space can go days without seeing each other — but email or workplace chat apps only add to the distractions of already busy schedules.
Now, AI is helping to bring staff closer together and simplify routine processes that, however necessary, can often become obstacles to productivity.
Take task management, for example. When teams are working remotely, managers can centralize their command. We helped The Container Store step outside of their chain of emails to achieve efficient HQ oversight of their evolving tasks across multiple storefronts with real-time progress insights (check out the case study here). Their tasks can now be dispatched, re-prioritized, and kept unearthed from inboxes for employees to tackle prompter than ever.
On top of real-time insights and productivity tracking, AI is also helping employees take responsibility through self-service features. Time-off requests, shift swaps, and schedule changes can be analyzed automatically by AI integrations for policy compliance and adequate personal accruals, resulting in instant approval and alerts for management. Employee managers can then monitor changes at a glance and jump in when necessary to swiftly accommodate changes instead of building unnecessary tension by sitting on personal requests.
Each of these features benefit onsite employees as well, but they truly open the door for even greater remote workforce flexibility and efficiency as businesses continue to expand their horizons. If you are considering what an AI-powered workforce management solution can do for you, we’re here to help discover the best possible solutions for you! Let’s get the conversation started and prepare your business for the growing wave of remote work-ability together.
